


Truly Brew-tiful

by ambrosinos



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-14 10:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambrosinos/pseuds/ambrosinos
Summary: "Eddie, you need a job." Bill stated bluntly. "A job, a h-hobby, anything to g-g-get you away from your desk." It had been the third weekend of the semester that Eddie had spent in his room, studying and working ahead on homework. Eddie, who incidentally was currently sitting at his desk, whipped his head around to look up at Bill."What? Why? What's wrong with being a diligent student?" He started to tap his pen against the desk, brows furrowed in confusion. Honestly, of all of his faults, Eddie really didn't think 'diligence in his studies' should be counted against him. 'Intense fear of germs' was probably going to be more harmful in the longrun.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I am relatively new to the It fandom, but I just had to write a fic about Richie and Eddie. I apologize if anyone seems OOC! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

"Eddie, you need a job." Bill stated bluntly. "A job, a h-hobby, anything to g-g-get you away from your desk." It had been the third weekend of the semester that Eddie had spent in his room, studying and working ahead on homework. Eddie, who incidentally was currently sitting at his desk, whipped his head around to look up at Bill.

"What? Why? What's wrong with being a diligent student?" He started to tap his pencil against the desk, brows furrowed in confusion. Honestly, of all of his faults, Eddie really didn't think 'diligence in his studies' should be counted against him. 'Intense fear of germs' was probably going to be more harmful in the longrun. Bill, who had been leaning in the doorway, moved to sit across from Eddie on his bed.

"That's not what I mean, and y-you know it." Bill's tone was even and measured. "There's n-nothing wrong with putting effort into school. I just think it would be good for you to get out of the house, m-maybe hang out with someone that isn't S-s-stan or me." Eddie's eyebrows shot into his hairline, now fully turned in his chair to face Bill.

"Well, I'm soooo sorry to bother you with my friendship!" Eddie snapped, raring to start another mundane argument. He excelled at that; starting arguments, and arguing. Bill was never one to rise to Eddie's bait, though, and usually left Eddie feeling stupid for wanting to bicker. He scowled as he heard Bills deep laughter, rapping his friend sharply on the knee with his pencil in response.

"I love being your friend, I j-just want you to experience a bit of college life before we leave it. We d-d-don't have too much left." Eddie looked at the floor in shame, knowing his friend was right. They had just started fall semester of their junior year.

Bill, ever the social butterfly, had excelled at the social aspect of college as soon as they had arrived. He made friends, joined the baseball team, even had a few significant others by the second semester of their freshman year. He had introduced some of these friends to Eddie, like Stan, with which Eddie felt was a kindred spirit. The two got along swimmingly, sharing hand sanitizer when dragged into public by Bill. "Yes. I get it Bill, I should 'put myself out there more.'" Eddie said, miming quotation marks with his fingers, which earned another chuckle from Bill.

"Okay, I'll look for a job. But can we _please _just watch a Hallmark movie tonight?"

* * *

Walking across campus, Eddie shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. The air was already starting to chill, forcing Eddie to bundle up more often than not. As he walked, he thought over possible employment options, brows furrowed in concentration. He was not what others would call a 'people person,' and any attempt at manual labor would probably shut his heart down. Despite his best attempts to degrade himself, Eddie knew it was high time to leave his comfort zone. After having spent the entirety of his life taking the safe and comfortable route, he knew he couldn't afford to continue on like that. Not to mention, Bill's wrath would be uncontrollable if he found out that Eddie had pussied out.

While he had been lost in thought, Eddie's feet had carried him into town. Looking around at the various businesses, he heaved a great sigh. "No better place to start, I guess."

* * *

"Get me a large coffee with a shot of espresso." Eddie forcefully laid a bill on the counter of the coffee shop he was in. It was relatively new to the town, and, despite his bad mood, Eddie was excited to try their coffee. He had asked at multiple businesses, bakeries, grocery stores, even a dentists office for Christ sake. No luck. Not even one place had given Eddie an application.

The man behind the register rang up his order, mouth slightly quirked at the edges. "Everything alright?" Eddie opened his mouth, about to rant, but decided he just did not have the energy. Instead, he just shook his head, sliding some change into the tip jar sitting on the counter.

"I've gone into just about every store in this godforsaken town, and not one of them has been willing to give me an application." He grabbed the coffee that had been set in front of him. "I mean, isn't there one place in this town that's hiring?"

At this, the worker began to laugh, and Eddie made a noise of annoyance. "Sorry, how is that funny-" He looked at the workers name tag. "Mike? How could my unemployment be so hilarious?" Mike continued to laugh as he reached under the counter. He grabbed a paper, and slid it across to Eddie.

"Sorry man, I'm not laughing at you, it's just a little funny. Didn't you see the sign in the front window?" Mike asked, his laughter petering out into chuckles. Eddie, still seething, looked down at the paper. 'APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT.' Eyebrows raised in surprise, he turned and looked at the front window, where a large 'HIRING' sign was stuck.

The short man slapped a hand to his forehead, cursing his inability to take in his fucking surroundings. "I... thanks Mike. I'm Eddie." He raised a hand in hello. Mike grinned, reaching across the counter to grip Eddie's hand and shake it. Eddie recoiled but didn't take his hand back. Sure, he hated handshakes and the germs that were usually transmitted through them, but he thought it best not to offend a possible future coworker.

Mike's grin grew. "Anytime! To be frank, we're sort of desperate for help."

"Well I'm desperate for work." Eddie smiled. "Works out well for both of us."

Mike laughed once more. It seemed to Eddie it was easy to amuse him, or else he was funnier than he knew. "Anyway, here's a pen, fill that out and we can start talking work!" He handed a pen across the counter, which Eddie took, and, along with his coffee and the application, moved towards a table near the front windows.

He had just settled in and began working on the application when the front door opened. Eddie glanced up. Someone tall - very tall - walked in, their face obscured by the pile of boxes they carried. Eddie, who was now making solid progress on filling out the application, was distracted yet again by the sound of something hitting their floor, and the beginnings of what sounded like singing. Yes, someone was singing - obnoxiously. Shaking his head, Eddie continued on the form. He was determined to ignore whoever was causing such a racket. This strategy worked.

At least, until the person reached the chorus.

"_It's gonna take a lot to drag me awaaaay from youuuuuuuu..." _Eddie felt his eye twitch. He paused, waiting to hear if the singer - which Eddie thought was a kind way to refer to whoever was 'singing' - would continue. The cafe returned to silence. Eddie let go of the breath he had been holding.

Just as he wrote his signature at the bottom of the page, an explosion of noise caused him to jump, the pen flying out of his hand.

"_THERE'S NOTHING THAT A HUNDRED MEN OR MORE COULD EVER DOOOOOO... I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AAAAAAAFRICAAAA,"_

Eddie stood. "For the love of CHRIST, would you SHUT UP!" He turned towards the source of the noise, face red and shoulders heaving.

The tall man, who Eddie could now see clearly, stood next to a pile of open boxes, an expression of pure shock on his face. The shock quickly slid into the biggest smiles Eddie had ever seen. The man had shaggy brown hair, held back by what looked to be a thin black headband. His square framed glasses accentuated his already large eyes, which, from this distance, looked to Eddie as if they were brown.

For a moment, the two stared at each other.

The taller man broke the silence. "Man, that would've been _hilarious_ if there were other customers here! You're lucky it's a slow time of the day!" He laughed, a pure, carefree sound that Eddie was surprised to find quite pleasant. Eddie's face drained of color. _'Thank fuck there wasn't anyone else in here.'_ He thought, glad that even Mike was absent from the front counter. That definitely would not have been the best way to start at a new job. He felt his anger abate as he schooled his face into a cool stare.

"Anywho, sorry shortstack, thought you'd like a private performance by yours truly!" The taller man sauntered over to Eddie and stuck his hand out in greeting. Eddie glanced up into his face, unimpressed, and found that his earlier observation was right; brown eyes. He regarded the man for a moment before grasping the hand offered to him.

"Eddie Kaspbrak."

"Richie Tozier, at your service! Nice to meet you Eds!"

"Don't call me that."


	2. Chapter 2

It was nine in the morning, and Eddie had already spilled three lattes. He had only gotten on shift an hour earlier, so he really hoped his afternoon would go better than his morning.

He sighed as he used a damp rag to clean up. While he'd like to blame his clumsiness on bad luck, he knew it was due to nervousness. Working at the cafe was his first real job, as his mother had never let him have one before. _'How pathetic, not having a job until junior year of college.'_ As far as jobs went, he found being a barista to be enjoyable. It was his favorite job so far, which wasn't saying much. Sure, he was shit at steaming milk (for now!), and he got worn out having to interact with so many people, but still. Eddie's favorite part of working in the cafe, besides the free drinks, was his coworkers. Most of them.

There was Mike, with whom Eddie found himself discussing books, movies, and classes with. Like Eddie, Mike majored in biology, a subject they discussed endlessly. Mike was funny and kind, and had an easy calmness that seemed to come naturally. While he would never admit it out loud, Eddie realized that he was quite jealous of Mike's easy-going attitude.

Audra, their resident latte artist, was beautiful and quick witted. Eddie wasn't surprised to learn that she was a theater major, and had hopes to become an actress in Hollywood. Ben, who Eddie shared a few classes with, was more on the quiet side, but resolutely kind to just about everyone who came into the shop.

Finally, there was Richie. Eddie was not an easy person to get along with, he knew this; But where Eddie was annoying, Richie was insufferable. He seemed to be the only one who thought this, however, as customers and coworkers alike seemed to find him absolutely charming. Richie was a jokester, always smiling and doing shitty impressions just to get other people to laugh. How anyone thought the jokes were funny, Eddie didn't know. Richie seemed to realize that Eddie was not a fan of his humor. Ever since their initial interaction, he had taken to bothering the shorter boy constantly.

Spill cleaned, Eddie moved to wash out the rag. Standing at the sink, he let the water run over his hands, taking a moment to breathe. It was just Mike and Eddie on the morning shift and they'd been moving, taking orders and making drinks, since the cafe opened. It was a Saturday, one of the busiest days of the week. Whenever there was a lull in customers, Eddie couldn't help but take a moment to zone out and recharge.

His reprieve didn't last for long, as he heard the help bell ring, He turned towards the front counter, ready to greet the customer with a smile plastered on his face.

"Edward, my dear chap!" Richie greeted him with the worst British accent he had ever heard. Eddie's smile quickly turned into a frown as he leaned against the counter.

"What do you want?" He asked, not bothering to hide the displeasure in his voice. Richie was unshaken, a large toothy grin plastered on his face. Eddie had noticed that the taller boy was usually always smiling. Even though he found the boy to be vexing, Eddie couldn't help but think that his smile was nice. Infectious.

Not that Eddie would willingly smile back, in most cases.

"Now Eds, with an attitude like that, you're not likely to get a tip from me!" Richie wagged his finger in Eddie's face, prompting the shorter boy to slap it away. Richie laughed, resting his hands against the counter. He leaned in towards Eddie, whose face became tinged with red. While he was still smiling, Richie's eyes seemed to darken a shade. They flicked down towards Eddies lips before quickly resuming eye contact.

The entire exchange lasted for only a moment, but Eddie felt his pulse quicken, his palms slick with sweat.

"Get away, dork." Eddie leaned away, effectively breaking whatever trance Richie had entered. "A-anyway, what are you doing here? You don't work til ten today." Richie quirked his eyebrows.

"Already memorized my schedule, Eds? I'm flattered!" He put a hand over his heart, using his other hand to fan at his face. "I'm getting all flustered!" He said, voice lowered and honeyed in an attempt at a southern accent. Eddie scrunched his nose.

"Of all your accents, that's possibly the worst one. And I didn't memorize your schedule. Mike told me."

"Good ole Mikey! Where is our resident beefcake?" Richie peered past the counter, trying to glimpse into the back room.

"He's on break." Eddie answered. "Richie, are you just gonna stand here distracting me for the next hour, or..." Eddie tilted his head slightly, scratching at his neck. "I don't know, what is it you do in your free time? Laugh at your own jokes? Polish your glasses?"

Richie scoffed. "Ed's, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm hilarious." He pushed his glasses down to sit on the tip of his nose, eyes peering out from behind the lenses. "of COURSE I laugh at my own jokes."

Taken by surprise at the answer, Eddie snorted with laughter. As he pushed his glasses back up on his face, Eddie couldn't help but notice that Richie looked proud at having made him laugh.

"There's a laugh! I knew I'd get you someday Edwardo! Now!" Richie clapped his hands together. "I would like to order a drink! May I see your secret menu?"

Eddie furrowed his brows. "You know there isn't a secret menu. Also, don't you work here? Can't you make your own drinks?"

Richie shook his head in response. "Now, where would be the fun in that? Gotta make sure you're earning that paycheck, Fredwardo!"

"That's not even close to my name!" Eddie complained.

Richie ignored him. "I will have a medium caramel latte with whipped cream and chocolate sauce!"

"Ew. How can you drink something so sweet?" As he spoke, Eddie grabbed a cup and wrote the order on it. "Also, you know I'm terrible at making lattes. You're playing yourself here!" Eddie warned as he turned to get the drink ready.

"Oh Eddie my darling, I believe in you. You show that milk who's boss!" Shaking his head, Eddie packed espresso powder, attaching it to the machine, then pumped flavor into the cup. After that was done, he filled a metal pitcher with milk before submerging a steaming wand into the liquid. As he opened the vent, he couldn't help but recoil a bit at the loudness of the machine. Adding the milk to the cup, he sprayed some whipped cream on top, before finishing off with a drizzle of chocolate.

He put a lid onto the drink, turning back towards Richie. Slight smile on his face, he called out to the (mostly empty) cafe, "Order for Trashmouth!"

"Oh come on, man!"

* * *

The rest of Eddie's day had gone pretty much the same as his morning, minus the spills. Richie had continued to pick on and annoy him, so when three o'clock came and Audra came in to replace him, Eddie was extremely pleased.

Closing the door to the house he shared with Bill and Stan, he shucked off his shoes. He made his way into the living room, where his roommates were very enthusiastically playing Mario Cart. "Hey guys. Who's winning?"

"Me!" Stan yelled triumphantly as his character crossed over the finish line. Bill clapped after setting his controller down. "Good game."

Bill turned to Eddie, who had sat on the large loveseat situated next to the couch. "H-how was work?"

Eddie let his head fall back into the seat. "It was fine. Mike says hello." He had told Mike all about his friends, and Mike was now friend to them by proxy. "Richie was annoying, again. Then again, when isn't he?" Eddie let out a long breath.

"You talk about this Richie guy a lot, Eddie." Stan stated. Eddie's head shot up, looking at the now smirking Stan. He felt his face heat.

"I do not!" Panicking slightly at the look on his friend's faces, Eddie continued hastily. "Speaking of Mike! He asked me to come to the football game, and then to the diner afterwards! Will you guys go with me? You'll finally get to meet him." Mike was a linebacker on the school team. After a quick glace at the other, Stan and Bill nodded their heads.

"Sure, we'll come." Stan said. Eddie grinned, moving out of the room and towards the stairs. As he set his foot on the first stair, Stan yelled out.

"Wonder if Richie will be there!" Eddie was ashamed to say he lost his footing and tripped up the stairs.

* * *

The night was bitterly cold. Eddie guessed that made sense, since it was early October, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He had borrowed one of Bill's hoodies, paired with a large blue scarf. Eddie loved wearing scarves. They were cozy, warm, and a place to bury his face when he didn't want to talk to people. All in all, he was swimming in his outfit, and he loved it. Bill and Stan sat to the left of him in the bleachers.

The game had yet to start, but the boys found themselves shaking with cold. Stan had prepared better than the other two, but was still affected by the night air. As Eddie brought his hands to his mouth, blowing hot air on them, he heard someone yelling his name.

"Eddie! Ed's!" Looking towards the bottom of the bleachers, Eddie saw Richie standing there. The taller boy waved his arms in the air, a hot cup held in each hand. Richie grinned as he got Eddie's attention, moving toward the shorter boy.

Richie took the bleachers two at a time. '_The advantages of having long legs.' _Eddie thought. '_If I tried that, I'd fall on my ass.'_

He was shaken from his thoughts by Richie's yells, and the snickering of his friends.

"Eddie Spaghetti, what a sight for sore eyes!" Richie smile was wide, eyes glued to Eddie.

The shorter boys eyes widened, hearing people giggle and whisper at the nick name. He bundled further down into his scarf, face burning. Richie, either not noticing his discomfort, or completely ignoring it, sat next to Eddie, shoving one of the drinks into the shorter boys hand.

"Here you go spaghetti! Thought you might want something to keep you warm!"

"T-thanks, Richie." Eddie said, surprised by the other boys kindness. He sipped at the drink gratefully. "I hate that nickname. It's awful. And embarrassing." He could still feat heat in his cheeks. Bill, still giggling slightly, elbowed Eddie.

"Gonna i-introduce us?" Eddie shook his head, refusing to meet the gaze of his best friend, who he knew would have a teasing look on his face. Richie reached across Eddie, hand outstretched to shake the hands of Bill and Stan.

"Name's Richie, nice to meet ya! Sorry, I didn't know Eddie would be with friends, I would've brought y'all drinks too." He pursed his lips, seemingly annoyed with himself, before offering his drink to Bill. "Want mine? I don't have cooties, promise."

"No thanks, thank y-y-you though. You're v-ery k-kind, Richie." Bill said as he shook Richie's hand.

Stan grabbed Richie's hand from Bill's. "Yeah, nice to meet you! Eddie complains about you all the time!" The curly haired boy said with a wicked smile.

"I do not!" Eddie said indignantly. He shot a frown at Stan. He'd make him pay for the teasing. "How'd you know where to find me? And why bring me a drink?" He asked, mostly trying to distract from Stan's comment, but also to sate his pure curiosity. Richie grinned, eyes locked on Eddie.

"Mikey told me you were coming to the game. Knew it was gonna be a cold one, so I decided to come to the rescue!" Richie gave a thumbs up. "What can I say, I'm a great person." His attention was soon pulled back to Stan and Bill, who had began to ask questions about Richie and his life.

As his friends continued to speak to Richie, Eddie looked down at the cup he had been given. Written in what he assumed was Richie's untidy scrawl was 'Eds,' with a small smiley face doodled next to it.

Eddie grinned, glad once more for the scarf covering his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've realized that I write Stan as someone who is very jokey and likes to tease. I'm sorry if that seems OOC, that's just the way he seems to come to mind. I like to see my little Jewish boy have some emotions.


	3. Chapter 3

"YES MIKE, YOU GO MIKE!" Eddie screamed as he jumped to his feet. Their football team had just scored a touchdown (Basket? Goal? Eddie didn't know that much about sports), and rather than cheering on the entire team, he found himself singling out Mike every time. He could see his friend running on the field, highfiving a teammate. The rest of the students in the bleachers were still cheering as Eddie sat back down, cold hands clutching his now lukewarm coffee gratefully.

Knowing Richie, Eddie had expected to have gotten some overly sweet drink with way too much whipped cream. Much to his surprise, Richie had made him a cappuccino. Eddie sipped the drink, humming happily at the slightly acidic taste. Richie might be kind of a shit head, but it was impressive that he knew what sort of drinks Eddie liked. Eddie pondered this. How had Richie known? The had never discussed drink preferences before, and he had never made Richie make him anything at the cafe. Regardless, he felt his face flush a little at the thought of Richie making him a drink because he didn't want him to be cold.

And why did it matter so much? It was just a drink. Nothing extraordinary. Why the fuck was he getting so worked up over a fucking cup of coffee?

'_Snap the fuck out of it, Eddie. Whatever the fuck 'this' is.' _Why the fuck was he blushing while thinking of Richie? All he did was make him a stupid drink and draw a stupid smiley face onto the cup and stupidly come to the game to give it to him-

"Hey Eddie, you know you're supposed to cheer for the entire team, right?" Richie asked as he sat back down, breaking Eddie away from his thoughts. He hoped his face wasn't too flushed, and that whatever rouge was there could be blamed on the cold.

"Mike asked me to come to the game, so I'm going to cheer for him. Why is that so weird?" Eddie answered, maybe more defensively than necessary. His mind was still half way thinking of the whole 'blushing about Richie' thing, irrationally afraid that Richie and the others knew what was going through his mind.

Putting up his hands in surrender, Richie donned an expression of fear. "Yes sir, I'm sorry for asking, sir." He laughed. "Man, someone is a little defensive. Anyway, who knew you were so into football? I wouldn't'a pegged ya as a sports man." He spoke to not only Eddie, but to Bill and Stan as well, as if hoping to get some sort of answer.

"Eddie is a l-l-little compet-titive." Bill responded, smile on his face.

"I am not!" Eddie huffed, giving his friend a look before turning towards Richie. His face adopted a serious expression. "I am extremely competitive. I love to win."

Richie's mouth opened in shock, before sliding into a sort of opened mouthed smile. "Holy shit, Eddie Spaghetti, you are the man of my dreams." He sputtered out before breaking into raucous laughter. It took Eddie a moment to process Richie's words, eyes wide once he realized what the taller boy had said. His cheeks colored immediately. "Shut the fuck up Richie!"

Eddie looked towards Stan and Bill, hoping to receive some backup in shutting Richie up. He found that they, too, were lost in their laughter, though he was sure they were amused for a different reason. Sure he would be teased mercilessly when they got back to the house, Eddie turned his head back towards Richie.

Richie, whose laughter had petered down into small chuckles, had brought his drink to his lips. As he sipped at it, Eddie couldn't help but notice that his glasses were slowly fogging up with the heat of the coffee.

Eddie couldn't explain it, but he couldn't tear his gaze away. The sight of Richie, cup to his lips and his -frankly ridiculous- glasses covered in steam, his brown curls forced against his forehead by the beanie he wore, cheeks dimpled with the ghost of a smile-

It was cute. Richie looked cute right now.

Eddie was dumbfounded, stuck staring at the taller boy. Why did he think Richie was cute? Did he have a crush on Richie?

Was it childish to say he had a crush?

Overcome by confidence at this realization, Eddie decided to say something to Richie. _'Throw caution to the wind, what's the harm in a simple compliment?' _Something nice, complimentary.

"Hey jackass, nice glasses, you can't even see shit out of those."

* * *

As promised, Eddie and the gang began to make their way to one of the diners in town to meet up with Mike. He had told them to go ahead, as he had to change and collect his things from the locker room. Their team had won, and even though he wasn't what you would call a 'sport enthusiast,' Eddie couldn't help but feel giddy in the afterglow of the win. Everyone's spirits were high. Their group was not the only one to be walking towards town, clusters of students singing, talking, and laughing as they made their way through campus.

Eddie felt light on his feet, happily glancing between Stan and Bill as the two boys carried the conversation. Bill was attempting to explain to Stan the intricacies and rules of football. Stan, who was listening raptly, asked many questions, eyes trained on Bill.

Eddie snorted with laughter. He dropped back to walk slightly behind his friends, hoping to give them some space. Unbeknownst to Bill, Stan had confided in Eddie earlier in the night that he routinely went to football games with his father. He knew the game, and the rules, very well.

Eddie's smile grew.

"What're you grinning at, spaghetti?" Looking to his side, Eddie glanced up at Richie before turning his eyes back to his friends.

"Stan already knows how football works." The shorter man whispered conspiratorially.

"Okay?"

Eddie huffed. "Watch them for a second."

The two directed their attention to the pair in front of them. Stan kept bumping his side into Bill, letting their hands brush together as they walked. They could see a definite blush on Bill's face, though he continued to speak to Stan.

Looking back up at Richie, Eddie elbowed the taller boys side. "See? He's _flirting."_ Richie grinned.

"Very clever, Staniel the maniel, didn't know he had it in him!"

"Shh! They'll hear us!"

* * *

Richie thought he was going to die of happiness. They had claimed a booth at the diner, with Bill and Stan sitting on one side, Eddie and himself on the other. All was well and good in Richie-ville, until Mike came and squeezed in next to him, effectively forcing Eddie (who was sandwiched between them) onto Richie's lap. Not really his lap, but close enough as far as Richie was concerned.

He struggled to keep up with the conversation, distracted by the heat of Eddie's thigh against his own.

Richie had known from the moment he laid eyes on Eddie. He was even more sure after Eddie yelled at him. Richie knew he wouldn't to be able to resist the little spitfire, all attitude and wavy brown hair, and the biggest eyes Richie had ever seen. Seriously, Richie could talk about Eddie's eyes all day. He could also talk about the smaller mans ass all day too, but that was for a different time.

"Earth to Richie." Stan's voice caught his attention.

"Hmm? What's the sitch, Stan the man?"

"We were talking a-a-bout majors. W-what's y-yours?" Bill asked. Everyone turned their eyes toward Richie, including Eddie. Richie felt his pulse quicken.

"I'm a music industry major." The other boys nodded appreciatively before moving the conversation to Mike. Purely on instinct, he looked down at Eddie, wanting to see his reaction. Richie felt blessed by the gods. Eddie had furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes, something Richie noticed the shorter boy do when he was confused. It was probably one of the cutest things Richie had ever seen, something he didn't mind stating often.

"What's up cutie, in awe of my awesomeness?" Richie asked as he pinched Eddie's cheek. The smaller boy swatted his hand away, though Richie could tell there was no force behind the hit.

"I didn't peg you as a music person." Eddie stated at he picked at his food. Richie grinned.

"It's the thing I'm best at." His chest puffed with pride. It was true. Of his (many) talents in life, Richie was most proud of his dedication to music.

"Play any instruments?" Eddie asked, his eyes open wide and looking into Richie's.

"Guitar, bass, ukulele, basically anything with strings. I'm best at guitar, but bass is a close second, picked up music in elementary school and haven't been able to shake the music bug since." Richie knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it. He was so happy to be speaking about music, especially with Eddie.

The smaller boy had a strange expression on his face. Richie felt self conscious, worried that he had been speaking too long. "What, do I have something on my face?" He asked, hoping Eddie couldn't hear the nervous tremor in his voice.

Eddie shook his head. "No, it's impressive. I'm impressed, is all." Richie's jaw dropped. Eddie's face turned red, and he turned back towards the others.

For the first time in his life, Richie was speechless. Chest warm with happiness, he contentedly sat back in the booth, leg pressed firmly against Eddies.

* * *

_October 12th, 12:05 PM_

_Unknown number: _Hey there, is this the number I text for some phone sex?

_Unknown number:_ lookin for some HOT singles in my area

_Eddie:_ Who the fuck is this

_Eddie:_ Is this a prank?

_Unknown number:_ That depends, are you a hot single? ;))

_Eddie:_ I'm blocking this number,,

_Unknown number:_ WAIT IM JOKING eds it mee!

_Unknown number:_ ya boiiiiiii!

_Eddie:_ ?

_Unknown number:_ its richie! im hurt, eds, positively wounded! didnt even know it was me ;(

_Eddie:_ Richie how the fuck did you get my number?

_Contact saved in phone_

_Trashmouth: _a magician never tells his secrets

_Eddie:_ Was it Stan? I bet it was him. He's probably laughing to himself right now.

_Trashmouth:_ mayhaps

_Trashmouth:_ a certain jewish individual may have... slipped me some info :))))

_Eddie: _He's going to slip into my fist, I think

_Trashmouth:_ oooh, send me a video of that pls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a firm believer that Richie would use a SHITTON of emojis while texting, and that Eddie would h a t e it.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: A hot coffee with a shot of espresso is called a 'red eye.'


End file.
